Behaviour and health in two broiler hybrids with different growth - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Behaviour and health in two broiler hybrids with different growth rates

Sofia Wilhelmsson, Petra Bruce, Anna Wallenbeck, Stefan Gunnarsson, Lotta Jönsson, Jenny Yngvesson

Swedish Farmers Foundation for Agricultural Research

Age-related changes in size of University of Alberta Meat Control strains unselected since 1957 and 1978, and Ross 308 broilers (2005).

• M. J. Zuidhof et al. Poultry Science 2014;93:2970-2982

Production & broiler development

20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 2013

Chickenproductionin Sweden

Nr. chickens slaughtered (1000 head) Tonnes meat chicken

• Fivefold increase in nr. slaughtered

chickens (in thousands)

• Sixfold increase in tonnes meat

produced (Faostat, 2015)

• Approx. average weight gain/ day

20  60 g

• Leg problems
• Metabolic diseases
• Inactivity due to imbalanced bodies with

large breast muscles

(Muir and Aggrey, 2003, Weeks et al., 2000, Shim et al., 2012, Bessei, 2006)

Mortality

Organic broiler production

• Longer rearing

period

• Access to
• utside area
• Organic feed
• Organic broiler

production only a fraction

• Lack of slower growing

hybrids

• Welfare problems in

fast growing hybrids

• Rowan Ranger in the

Swedish market

Aim

To quantify differences in behaviour and health between two broiler hybrids with different growth rates

Photo: http://en.aviagen.com/ross- 308/ Photo: http://en.aviagen.com/rowan- ranger/

Study design

• 429 chickens
• 218 Ross 308
• 211 Rowan Ranger
• 20 Groups

19- 22 chickens/ group

• 10 replicates/ hybrid
• Two feed treatments

Home pen

• Pens measuring

1.85*1.85 m

• Perches, cutter shavings
• 33-23 °C
• About 60% humidity

Day-old chickens in 2 weeks

Day 1: Behavioural obs. Day 2: Welfare Quality assessment

6 weeks

Day 1: Behavioural

• bs.

Day 2: Welfare Quality assessment

9 weeks

Day 1: Behavioural

• bs.

Day 2: Welfare Quality assessment

Slaughter at 70 days of age

Timeline

Data collection

• Behavioural
• bservations
• scan sampling

Data collection

• Welfare Quality assessment
• scoring of health & welfare

indicators

Weight

Ross 308 Rowan Ranger P- value

Mean weight gain/ day (g) 55.4 38.3 ** Mean LW at slaughter (g) 3986 2817 ** Rowan Ranger and Ross 308 at two weeks… …and at about nine weeks

Higher daily weight gain and live weight at slaughter in Ross birds

Higher mortality in Ross. Significantly more Ross birds culled due to leg weakness 10% of Ross vs. 3% of Rowan Ranger (p=0.03) culled due to leg weakness

Health

High proportion

• f Ross birds

showed severe walking difficulties at nine weeks

Health

Contact dermatitis more common and more severe in Ross

Behaviour

Rowan Ranger birds more active at six and nine weeks

Conclusion

Rowan Ranger more active Poorer health in Ross Differences between the hybrids But.. Welfare problems in both hybrids

Thank you for listening!